On Saturday, May 13, mail carriers won’t only be delivering and picking up mail, they will also be picking up non-perishable food that is generously donated by the community. This is known as the Letter Carrier’s Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, the worlds largest one-day food collection event. This year, the National Association of Letter Carriers will be celebrating its 25th year with the food drive.
Over 49 million Americans are unsure where their next meal where come from. This number includes approximately 13 million children and five million seniors. By the time the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive takes place, local food pantry’s are running low after with winter months. Because of this, the second Saturday of May is known as “food drive day,” which is why the drive will be hosted on May 13.
During the time the drive takes place, most school breakfast and lunch programs are about to be suspended due to the summer vacation. This leaves millions of children struggling to find food and wondering when their next meal will be. Scenarios like these are why the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive has become important to the NALC for 25 years.
Last year’s Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive collected a record breaking number of 80 million pounds of food. This raised the total amount of donations picked up since the national food drive began in 1983 to more than 1.5 billion pounds.
To help stamp out hunger, simply leave a bag (plastic or paper) of non-perishable food next to your mailbox before your letter carrier’s regular pick up time on Saturday, May 13.
All food that is collected will be donated to local food banks and other charitable organizations within the community.